Luol Deng has filled a void.
The Cavaliers have been searching for a quality starting small forward since LeBron James left Cleveland in July 2010.
Many have auditioned for the job, but none — until now — has been a legitimate candidate.
Finally, the Cavs (14-25) have a bona fide small forward in Deng.
Since the blockbuster trade on Jan. 7 with Chicago, Deng has started four games. The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder is averaging 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He’s shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from the 3-point arc.
Deng has scored 25 and 27 points, respectively, in the last two games. He has reached double figures in scoring in all four games since joining the team.
The Cavs are 2-2 on the five-game West Coast trip that concludes at 9 p.m. Friday in Denver.
The Cavs were trimmed by Portland on Wednesday, 108-96, as the Trail Blazers closed the game by scoring 12 unanswered points.
“No disrespect to the Lakers, but I thought we played better (vs. Portland) than we did (against L.A.),” Deng said. “It was a back-to-back. (We came) in late. I’m not making any excuses. The game plan was excellent.
“I’ve been here with Chicago, and we got blown out. This is a very good home team. The last four minutes, (things) got away from us. They made some big shots. They have been doing that all year. If we played like that at home (against Portland), we could have won that.”
Deng, 28, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Cavs are expected to discuss a contract extension with him, even though some think they should save that salary-cap space for James. However, there are no guarantees either player wants to sign in Cleveland.
The Cavs say Deng wasn’t brought here to be a rental.
“We’re bringing him here and we’d like to keep him here long term,” Cavs General Manager Chris Grant said after the trade. “We see him as part of our core and our youth moving forward. We’ll get through the season and get into those conversations at the appropriate time.”
Deng is earning a team-high $14.3 million this season.

Advertisement

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@news-herald.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsinsider.